Reports & Analysis

A report by the New York Building Congress Task Force on New York City Storm Preparedness

Risk & Resiliency After Sandy


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NEW YORK, June 6, 2013 – Despite the heroic efforts of New York’s public agencies and private entities in response to Superstorm Sandy, the extreme weather event exposed troubling vulnerabilities that threaten the City’s long-term economic vitality, according to “Risk & Resiliency after Sandy,” a new report by the New York Building Congress Task Force on New York City Storm Preparedness, which was chaired by former Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch.

In particular, the Task Force found that insufficient power and telecommunications reliability, uneven emergency response, vulnerable infrastructure and antiquated building systems contributed to the devastation wreaked by Superstorm Sandy.

Mr. Ravitch said, “The physical damage inflicted by the Storm was devastating, and questions were raised about New York’s future given that commercially important parts of the City were located within the flood zone.  In the aftermath of Sandy, the City is left with a number of uncertainties, most notably relating to the condition of its power grid. New York City must assume that this kind of storm will occur more frequently and be far better prepared in the future.”
 
Building Congress Chairman John M. Dionisio said, “In ways large and small, building performance standards in New York City must be modernized.  Structures in and out of flood zones were ill prepared for the Storm, suggesting improvements are needed to the City’s building codes and inventory.”

“The lack of adequate emergency planning and procedures, a significant issue since 9/11, continues to be a stumbling block for the City,” said Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson.  “Resolution of this issue is imperative in order to truly prepare for the next emergency.”
 
Mr. Anderson added, “Superstorm Sandy also exposed troublesome vulnerabilities in New York City’s building stock, its private utilities and telecommunications networks, and its major transportation and infrastructure systems,” added Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson.  “What worked reasonably well in the past was shown to be simply not good enough.”

The following principal recommendations emerged from the Task Force, which was comprised of 43 of the region’s leading engineers, architects, contractors, developers, association and labor leaders, policymakers and academics.

Hardening Utility Grids
More than one million Con Edison customers in New York City and Westchester lost power in Sandy’s wake.  Flooding at the utility’s 14th Street substation resulted in a five-day blackout for most of the area below 39th Street in Manhattan.  This loss of power crippled the subway system and Lower Manhattan, while also severely curtailing telecommunications, wastewater treatment and other systems vital to a fully-functioning metropolis.   

In the report, the Building Congress Task Force urges that federal relief funds be allowed for use by private utilities to help pay for capital projects that make the power system more reliable.  The allocation of federal dollars will ensure that the entire cost is not borne by ratepayers.  Con Edison, for instance, recently proposed a $3 a month surcharge on all customers to pay for $1 billion in storm-preparedness expenditures. 

The federal funds could be used to harden and better protect the existing power generation and distribution system, and to invest in alternative energies such as distributed generation and smart-grid technologies.

Emergency Planning and Response
After examining government’s response to Superstorm Sandy, the Building Congress found the need for more comprehensive disaster-preparedness plans, direct oversight and coordination by the Governor and Mayor, and improved communications protocols by government, utilities and the insurance carriers when communicating to each other and with the general public.

In addition, the Task Force is calling for the adoption of a new “Emergency Responder Law,” which would enable architects, engineers and contractors to provide immediate, life-saving assistance without being constrained by fear of later litigation.

“The City’s reluctance to pre-approve and indemnify contractors limited the number of companies willing to assist in the immediate aftermath of the storm,” said Building Trades Employers’ Association President and CEO Louis J. Coletti, who chaired the Task Force’s Emergency Response Committee. “If indemnification were in place, there would have been greater participation, and the work could have been done faster and at a lower cost to government.  The contractor community faced the same problem after 9/11, and it is disheartening to find that it still has not been addressed.”

Making Buildings More Resilient
Superstorm Sandy exposed some glaring weaknesses in the design and operation of commercial and residential buildings throughout New York City, and in Lower Manhattan in particular. While some buildings were able to resume operations once power was restored, many structures in and out of the flood zone proved ill prepared, with many buildings unable to open for weeks after the Storm.

These experiences point to the need for New York City to revise and standardize its building codes (much as it did after 9/11) and expedite acceptance of new FEMA flood maps. The new standards would require new construction and major renovations to be designed to withstand a one-in-200-year storm.  The Task Force believes such a revision should be implemented no later than October 1, 2013.  

In addition, the Task Force recommends that all buildings establish emergency preparation and recovery plans and that all tenants are made familiar with its provisions.  The plan should address telecommunications needs as well as contingency plans in the event that power or water supplies are interrupted.

Making Infrastructure More Redundant
“There is no shortage of ideas on how to protect the City against future disasters,” said STV Group Executive Chairman Dominick M. Servedio, who served as a Vice Chairman of the Task Force and chaired its Big Projects Committee. “When it comes to pursuing proposals for major public-works projects, however, separating the feasible from the fantastic is critical and should involve an approach that focuses on major program priorities, such as State of Good Repair (SOGR), improving redundancy, accelerating current capital projects and flood protection.”

In addition to adding redundancy to electric distribution and telecommunications networks as well as wastewater systems, the Task Force endorses such key transportation priorities as increased capacity on the LIRR’s main line, creation of a new Trans-Hudson Tunnel and pursuit of Metro North-Penn Station access.  The Building Congress also recommends a cross harbor freight tunnel, a fourth major metropolitan airport and a new bridge or tunnel connection between Long Island and Connecticut.

The Task Force maintains that each government agency must reevaluate their current capital plans to achieve added redundancy, though not at the cost of SOGR. 

“The design, construction and real estate industry has performed a great public service through this Task Force and report,” said Mr. Ravitch.  “The architects, engineers and construction workforce had a bird’s eye view of the storm’s destructive impact as well as the government’s initial responses.  There is no way in the world to prevent a natural disaster from occurring again, but if the recommendations in this report are followed, then we will have come a long way toward mitigating the worst impacts on the region’s residents and economy.”

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The New York Building Congress is a membership coalition of business, labor, association and government organizations promoting the design, construction and real estate industry in New York City.

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